Professional Documents
Culture Documents
NATIONAL NEWS
Kerala Becomes the First State Assembly to Pass Anti-CAA Resolution
• Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has moved a resolution in the state Assembly on
December 31, 2019, to scrap the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
• With this, it has become the first state in the country to do so.
• The Chief Minister is of the view that the implementation of the controversial act will lead to
religion-based discrimnation in granting citizenship, which was against the secular values
enshrined in the Constitution.
Khattar launches Atal Canteen in Karnal; labourers, farmers to get food for Rs 10
• The Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar has inaugurated the first Atal Kisan-Mazdoor
canteens in Karnal where the farmers and labourers will get food for Rs 10.
• The canteen will provide Veg-thali comprising four chapatis, rice, dal and seasonal vegetable, all
for Rs 10, with the capacity to serve 300 persons daily.
• The canteen has been named after former PM late Atal Bihari Vajpayee
• It has been set up by the Haryana State Agriculture Marketing Board (HSAMB) in collaboration
with the state rural livelihood mission.
• The actual cost of a thali-served in this canteen is Rs 25 and the HSAMB will provide for the
remaining Rs 15.
• This is the first canteen in the state and 25 more such canteens would be set up by next year and
four such facilities will be made operational in January.
Odisha govt launches e-certificate portal and PAUTI App: Now Get Caste, Residence
Certificates Online
• The Odisha government has launched ‘e-Certificate portal’, a unique project to provide official
documents such as caste certificate, permanent residence certificates, income or similar other
certificates online without the need to visit Tehsil offices or Common Service Centres.
• The initiative has been launched by the Revenue and Management department of the state as
part of its 5T model of governance.
• The applicants will not be required to pay any fees as well for the service.
• Patnaik also launched a mobile App “Pauti”, to facilitate online payment of land revenue so that
citizens need not visit government offices for the same. They can download the application and
make payment.
BANKING AND ECONOMICS
Nirmala Sitharaman unveils Rs 102L-cr infra project pipeline
• Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has announced an infrastructure project pipeline
worth over Rs 102 lakh crore to be implemented over the next five years, as a major step towards
achieving the government’s ambition of turning India into a $5 trillion economy by 2024-25.
• The total expected capital expenditure amounts to Rs 10,250,704 crore during the fiscals 2020 to
2025.
• According to the plan, of the total investments, 39 percent each will come from the Central and
state governments while the remaining 22 percent from the private sector
• India has been spending an average Rs 8 lakh crore annually since FY13 on infrastructure
SPORTS
ICC plans to scrap five-day Tests from 2023; set to be limited to four
• The Cricket’s apex body, the International Cricket Council has planned to reduce all Test matches,
including the Ashes, from five days to four from 2023, to ease workload on players in the crowded
calendar.
• Test matches have been set at five days since 1979.
• England are backing the plans as it could provide a sustainable solution to the complex
scheduling needs and player workloads.
APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNATIONS
Harjeet Kaur Joshi: First Woman CMD Of Shipping Corporation
• Harjeet Kaur Joshi has been appointed as the full-time Chairperson and Managing Director of
privatisation-bound Shipping Corporation of India (SCI).
• She is the first female to head the Mumbai based Public Sector Enterprise and the 13th
chairperson and managing director of country’s biggest ocean carrier by fleet size.
• She will serve the post till her superannuation on May 31, 2022 or until further orders.
• It must be noted that the government has decided to sell its 63.75 percent in SCI, to a private
strategic buyer and the stake sale is in process.
Vinod Kumar Yadav Re-appointed as Chairman Railway Board for One Year
• The Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC) has approved the reappointment of Shri Vinod
Kumar Yadav as Chairman, Railway Board and Ex-Officio Principal Secretary to Government of
India, for a period of one year effective from January 01, 2020.
Days
1 January – Global Family Day
It is celebrated as a day of peace and sharing. Its aim is to unite and spread message of peace by
considering and promoting an idea that Earth is a one Global Family so as to make world a better
place to live for everyone.
8 January - African National Congress Foundation Day
South African Native National Congress (SANNC) was founded in 8 January 1912 by John
Langalibalele Dube in Bloemfontein. Behind this the primary motive was to give voting rights to
black and mixed race Africans or to unite African people and spearhead the struggle for
fundamental political, social and economic change.
9 January – NRI (Non-Resident Indian) Day or Pravasi Bharatiya Divas
NRI or Pravasi Bharatiya Divas observed every year on 9 January to mark the contribution of the
overseas Indian community towards the development of India. This day also commemorates the
return of Mahatma Gandhi from South Africa to Mumbai on 9 January, 1915.
11 January – Death anniversary of Lal Bahadur Shastri
He was the second Prime Minsiter of Independent India. He popularised the slogan 'Jai Jawan Jai
Kisan' He actively participated in the India's freedom struggle. Due to cardiac arrest he died on 11
January, 1966.
12 January – National Youth Day
The birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda also called Swami Vivekananda Jayanti is celebrated
every year on 12 January. He was born on 12 January, 1863. The government had decided to
observe it as National Youth Day because the philosophy of Swamiji and the ideals for which he
lived and worked could be a great source of inspiration for the Indian Youth. He had given speech
at the Parliament of the World's religions in Chicago and glorified India's name.
15 January – Indian Army Day
Every year 15 January is observed as Indian Army Day because on this day in 1949 field Marshal
Kodandera M Cariappa took over as the first Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army from General
Sir Francis Butcher, the last British Commander-in-Chief.
15 January -- Makara Sankranti
Makara Sankranti or Maghi, is a festival day in the Hindu calendar, dedicated to the deity Surya. It
is observed each year in January. It marks the first day of the sun's transit into Makara, marking
the end of the month with the winter solstice and the start of longer days.
Observances: Kite flying.
Date: Wednesday, 15 January, 2020
Celebrations: Kite flying, bonfires, fairs, surya puja in river, feast, arts, dance, socialization
Featured in religions: Hinduism
Significance: Harvest festival
Also called: Magha, Môkôr Sôngkrānti, Mela, Maghi, Bhogi
23 January - Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Jayanti
Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose was born on 23 January, 1897 in Cuttack, Orissa. He was one of the
most prominent Indian freedom fighter. His army was known as Indian National Army (INA) or
Azad Hind Fauj. He also led an Indian national force from abroad against the Western powers
during World War II.
24 January- National Girl Child Day
On 24 January every year National Girl Child Day is celebrated to highlight the inequalities faced
by a majority of the girls in India, importance of education, nutrition, legal rights, medical care and
safety of girl children etc.
25 January- National Voters Day
Every year on 25 January National Voter's Day or Rashtriya Matdata Diwas is celebrated to
encourage young voters to take part in the political process. In 2011 first time this day was
celebrated to mark Election Commission's Foundation Day.
25 January- National Tourism Day
Every year on 25 January National Tourism Day is celebrated in India to raise the awareness and
educate people about the importance of tourism and the role it plays in the Indian economy.
26 January- Republic Day
On 26 November, 1949 Indian Constituent Assembly adopted the Constitution the supreme law of
the land and replaced the Government of India Act 1935. It came into effect on 26 January 1950
with a democratic government system. This day marks with the largest parade took place at
Rajpath, Delhi every year.
26 January – International Customs Day
International Customs Day (ICD) is celebrated every year on 26 January by Custom Organisation to
recognise the role of custom officials and agencies in maintaining border security. It also focuses
on the working conditions and challenges that custom officers face in their jobs.
28 January- Birth Anniversary of Lala Lajpat Rai
Lala Lajpat Rai was born on 28 January, 1865 in Punjab. He was a prominent nationalist leader
who played an important role in India’s struggle for freedom. He also earned the title of 'Punjab
Kesari' or 'the Lion of the Punjab'. He initiated the foundation of Punjab National Bank. He died on
17 November, 1928, due to serious injuries. The University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences in
Hisar, Haryana is named after Lala Lajpat Rai.
30 January – Martyrs Day or Shaheed Diwas
30 January is celebrated as Martyr's Day or Shaeed Diwas every year in the memory of Mahatma
Gandhi and sacrifice of three revolutionaries of India. As, on 30 January, 1948, the 'Father of
Nation' was assassinated. And on 23rd March 3 heroes namely Bhagat Singh, Shivaram Rajguru
and Sukhdev Thapar of the nation were hanged to death by British.
30 January – World Leprosy Eradication Day
World Leprosy Day is observed on 30 January every year to focus on the target of zero cases of
leprosy-related disabilities in children. As, we know that disabilities do not occur overnight but
happen after a prolonged period of undiagnosed disease.
NATIONAL NEWS
MILAN 2020: Visakhapatnam gears up to host International Naval event.
• The City of Destiny, Visakhapatnam, is set to host the International Naval event ‘MILAN’ in March
2020.
• MILAN 2020 is a multilateral naval exercise to enhance professional interaction between
participating foreign navies and learn from each other’s strengths and best practices in the maritime
domain.
• The theme of the exercise is ‘Synergy Across the Seas’.
• Of the 41 navies invited, confirmations from over 30 navies have been received towards their
participation in MILAN 2020
MHA issues revised norms for mutual legal assistance treaties.
• On 8th January 2020, The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has issued revised guidelines to
expedite the delivery of mutual legal assistance and justice in criminal matters with other countries
under the government’s policy of zero tolerance for crime at all.
• In this regard, India has signed Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) with 42 countries in
November 2019 for cooperation in criminal matters & the MHA is also designated ‘Central Authority of
India’ for it.
• The guidelines, issued in December 2019,are steps to speed up the delivery of justice. The revised
guidelines will provide investigative agencies with step-by-step guidelines on drafting and moving
request letters ,mutual legal aid requests or Letters Rogatory (LR) and summon requests, notices and
other judicial documents
• Aim: By incorporating various legal and technological developments in recent years, its goal is to
make documentation more concise, focused and suited to international needs in this regard. Concerns
raised by various courts have also been taken into consideration for fast and timely receipt of
documents of people living abroad.
• India is also the signatory of various international conventions like the United Nations Convention
against Corruption (UNCAC), and the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized
Crime (UNTOC).
• Mutual Legal Assistance:
It is a mechanism whereby countries cooperate with each another with the aim to provide and obtain
formal assistance in prevention, investigation and prosecution of crime to ensure that the criminals do
not escape for want of evidence available in various countries.
Over eight crore farmer families benefitted under Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN)
Scheme, with more than Rs 48 thousand 937 crore released under the scheme till date
State-owned Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO) has appointed M Nagaraj
as CMD.
• On January 8,2020 State-owned Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO) has
appointed M Nagaraj as company’s Chairman and Managing Director(CMD) for a period of 3 months.
• M.Ravi kanth was the former Chairman and Managing Director of HUDCO.
• Nagaraj is also Director(Corporate Planning) of the company.
• The shares of Hudco were trading at Rs.37.40 a piece on BSE(Bombay Stock Exchange).
• HUDCO provides loans for housing and urban infrastructure projects.
• Static about HUDCO:
Headquarters- New Delhi.
Founded- 25 April 1970.
Former Allahabad HC chief justice Dilip B Bhosale quits as Lokpal member.
• On January 9, 2020 Lokpal Member and the Former Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court, Justice
Dilip Babasaheb Bhosale has resigned from his post due to some personal reasons.
• He was appointed by Lokpal Chairman Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose on March 27, 2019.
• 63-years-old Bhosale was the acting Chief Justice of the High Court of Judicature at Hyderabad for
the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana from 2015-2016 .
• He also served as a judge of the high courts of Bombay and Karnataka.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
New data relay satellites to keep Gaganyaan crew in touch with Earth
• The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has planned to launch its own satellite
communication system called Indian Data Relay Satellite System (IDRSS) for tracking and
communication of its space assets.
• The IDRSS will have a constellation of two geo satellites, which will be deployed in phases.
• The first satellites will be launched into low-Earth orbit by the end of 2020, ahead of the unmanned
Gaganyaan test flight, while the second satellite will be launched in 2021, before the manned mission is
embarked in 2022.
• IDRSS will help ISRO’s ground control room to uniformly monitor India’s spaceflights and
communicate with them at any given point of time, and can be used in both low orbit missions and
farther missions such as those to the moon, Mars and beyond.
• The first beneficiary of IDRSS would be the prospective crew members of the Gaganyaan mission of
2022 who can be fully and continuously in touch with mission control throughout their travel.
Railway stations to have smart cameras for facial recognition
• On January 8, 2020 Face recognition technology developed using Artificial Intelligence (IP) has been
installed in Bengaluru, Manmad and Bhusawal stations as test cases.
• The objective of the Railway Protection Force (RPF) is to link the facial recognition system with
existing databases and identify the criminals.
• Indian Railways is also in the process of installing Internet Protocol (IP) based Video Surveillance
System (VSS) at railway stations.
• Key Points:
o In the last budget Rs 250 crore was allocated to Indian Railways from Nirbhaya funds for
installation of VSS in 983 railway stations.
o RailTel, a miniratna PSU under Ministry of Railways are working for install Internet Protocol (IP)-
based VSS and facial recognition system in the railway stations.
o In the first phase of installation VSS is being installed at 200 stations and as on date work has been
completed at 81 stations across India.
o Under VSS, four types of full HD cameras namely Dome type, Bullet type, Pan Tilt zoom type and
Ultra 4k-HD cameras will be installed. Each HD camera at the station consumes approximately 1TB of
data and 4k camera consumes 4 TB data per month.
o South Western Railway (SWR) has recently installed Video Surveillance system at 6 major stations
namely Ballari, Belagavi, Vasco-Da Gama , Bengaluru, Bangarpet and Hassan. Thus SWR completes the
work at the end of the year 2020 in 20 stations.
o Western Railways has installed in 10 stations namely Bhavnagar Terminus, Udhna, Valsad, Veraval,
Nagda, Navsari, Vapi, Viragam, Rajkot and Gandhidham,
• About Indian Railways:
Founded- April 16, 1853
Headquarters- New Delhi
Ministry of Railway- Piyush Goyal
Chairman of Railway Board- Vinod Kumar Yadav
17. China : Long March 3B launches TJSW -4
• China has successfully launched a new communication technology experiment satellite, Tongxin
Jishu Shiyan Weixing -5 (TJSW-5) by its Long March-3B (also known as CZ [Chang Zheng]-3B) carrier
rocket.
• The mission lifted off from Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan Province, a southwestern
Chinese province.
• It was the 324th mission for the Long March series of carrier rockets.
o Key Points:
i.The satellite ,entered into space, will be used in communication, radio, television and data
transmission, as well as high throughput technology test.
ii.Earlier in December 2019, China launched its heaviest and most advanced communications satellite,
Shijian-20 with its largest new carrier rocket Long March-5 (also known as CZ-5) from Wenchang
Space Launch Center (WSLC) in south China’s Hainan Province.
• About TJSW (Tongxin Jishu Shiyan Weixing):
It is a series of satellites are officially Communications Engineering Test Satellites, built by Shanghai
Academy of Spaceflight Technology(SAST) and the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology
(CALT), under the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC).
• About Long March-3B carrier:
It has the capacity to launch 11,200 kg satellite to a low Earth orbit or a 5,100 kg cargo to a
geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO).
India's first indigenous aircraft carrier Vikrant likely to be commissioned by early 2021.
• On January 8,2020 The manufacturing of the country’s first indigenous aircraft carrier Vikrant is
likely to be commissioned by early 2021.
• Vikrant is currently under phase three of construction which involves setting to work of machinery
and other equipment like power generation, propulsion and machinery.
o Key Points:
i.This carrier is being built at the Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) Kochi, Kerala.
ii.The third phase of construction will go till acceptance of harbour, sea trials and aviation trial will also
take a year and it will be fully operated by 2022.
iii.The first indigenous aircraft carrier Vikrant complemented with Mikoyan MiG-29k aircraft will be
showcased as part of the Navy’s tableau during the ceremonial parade on Rajpath, New Delhi on the
Republic day.
o About Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL):
Founded- 1972.
Headquarters- Kochi, Kerala
Chairman and Managing Director(MD)– Shri Madhu S Nair.
o About Indian Navy :
Chief of the Naval Staff- General Admiral Karambir Singh.
Founded- 5th September 1612.
Navy Day- December 4.
7. World Bank cuts India's FY20 growth estimates to 5% from earlier 6%.
• World Bank (WB) released its January 2020 Global Economic Prospects report on 08 January 2020.
• The WB report has cuts India’s GDP growth for financial year 2020-21 to 5% from its previous
estimate of 6 percent.
• Also, for fiscal 2021-22, GDP projection has come down to 5.8 percent,
• The Global economic growth in 2020-21 is expected to rise to 2.5%.
AWARDS AND RECOGNITION
8. 4 Indian airports receive international recognition for reducing carbon emissions.
• On January 10, 2020 the Airports Authority of India(AAI) has announced that 4 Indian airports have
received international recognition for reducing the carbon emission level as per the standards set by
Airports Council International (ACI) for the grading.
• The 4 airports are as follows:
o Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport (West Bengal)
o Biju Patnaik International Airport (Odisha)
o Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport (Uttar Pradesh)
o Trivandrum International Airport (Kerala)
• The reduction in emissions was achieved by constituting Carbon Management Plan(CMP) and
reducing carbon emissions at airports as per the Airport Carbon Accreditation (ACA) Program. ACI’s
grading system is based on 4 categories. They are mapping, reduction, optimization and neutrality
9. Prof. MS Swaminathan & Dr. G Muniratnam chosen for Muppavarapu Venkaiah Naidu
National Awards.
• Eminent Agricultural Scientist Dr M S Swaminathan and veteran social worker, Dr. Gutta
Muniratnam have been chosen as the first recipients of ‘Muppavarapu Venkaiah Naidu National Award
for Excellence’ and ‘Muppavarapu National Award for Social Service’’ respectively.
• The announcement for the awards was made during the 10th Anniversary Celebrations of
Muppavarapu Foundation and Sankranthi Sambaralu (festivities) organized in Hyderabad on 09
January 2020.
• The Muppavarapu Venkaiah Naidu National Award for Excellence is instituted by the Muppavarapu
Foundation.
• Muppavarapu National Award for Social Service has been launched by the Swarna Bharat Trust.
• Each award carries a cash prize of Rupees Five Lakh and citation.
• Prof. M.S. Swaminathan has been awarded for his distinguished contributions to the field of
agriculture.
• Dr G Muniratnam, Founder Secretary of Tirupati-based Rashtriya Seva Samiti, was awarded for his
extraordinary contribution in improving quality of people’s lives through social service.
SPORTS
10. TTFI to host ITTF EC Meeting in New Delhi.
• The two-day Executive Committee meeting of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF)
began in New Delhi on 10th January 2020.
• This is the second time that India is hosting such a meeting.
• Previously such meeting of the ITTF was held in New Delhi in 1987.
• The EC meeting is being chaired by ITTF President Thomas Weikert to discuss the development of
table tennis in India, among other issues.
• The other members in the Executive Committee of the ITTF comprises deputy president Khalil Al-
Mohannad, Secretary General Raul Calin, seven executive vice-presidents and CEO Steve Dainton.
• International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) headquarter- Lausanne, Switzerland.
OBITUARY
LCA Tejas' lands on Indian Navy's aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya for the first time.
• On January 11,2020 the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas has made a successful landed on the
India’s biggest warship INS Vikramaditya.
• The maiden landing was conducted by Commodore Jaideep Maolankar.
• For the first time an indigenous fighter aircraft has been landed on an aircraft carrier.
• India becomes sixth nation to master the art of an arrested landing and ski-jump take off on the
deck of a carrier after Russia, the United States (US), France, the United Kingdom (UK)and China.
• LCA was developed by Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) long with Defence Research and
Development Organisation (DRDO).
• About LCA Tejas:
Tejas is India’s Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) together with its variants, is the smallest and lightest Multi-
Role Supersonic Fighter Aircraft of its class.
• This single engine, Compound-Delta-Wing, Tailless Aircraft is designed and developed by ADA with
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) as the principal partner along with DRDO, Council of Scientific
and Industrial Research (CSIR) , Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), Directorate General Of Aeronautical
Quality Assurance (DGAQA) to meet the needs of the Indian Air Force (IAF) and Indian Navy (IN).
• About DRDO:
Founded- 1958
Headquarters- New Delhi
Chairman- Dr. G Satheesh Reddy
• About HAL:
Chairman- R Madhavan
Headquarters- Bengaluru
• About CSIR:
Founded- September 26, 1942
President- Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi
• About BEL:
Headquarters- Bengaluru
Chairman- S.K.Sharma
OBITUARY
Qaboos bin Said, Oman’s Longest Serving Sultan, passes Away at 79.
• The Sultan of Oman, Qaboos bin Said, has passed away at the age of 79 due to health issues.
• He was the longest serving Arab leader who ruled the Gulf Arab state for 50 years since overtaking
in 1970.
• Meanwhile, Oman’s culture minister, Haitham bin Tariq Al Said, has been named as the Arab
country’s new ruling sultan.
Kannada Scholar M Chidananda Murthy passes away at 88.
Veteran broadcaster, academic-poet Obaid Siddiqui passes away at 63.
Canadian rock group drummer Neil Peart passed away at 67 years.
SUMMITS AND MOU’S
PM Modi launches projects worth 600 crore rupees on 150th year celebrations of Kolkata Port Trust
• The Kolkata Port has been renamed as Syama Prasad Mukherjee Port on 12 January 2020, on the
occasion of 150 years of operation of Kolkata Port.
• This announcement was made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during an event at the Netaji
Indoor Stadium in Kolkata to celebrate 150th year of celebrations of the port.
• PM Modi also launched several Port led development projects worth Rs 600 crore as a part of the
celebrations.
• Some of the projects launched include:
o Upgraded Ship repair facility at Netaji Subhash Dry Dock
o Upgraded railway infrastructure of Kolkata dock system of the Kolkata Port for smooth cargo
movement and river front development scheme
o Released a commemorative stamp on 150th years of the Kolkata Port Trust
o Mechanization of Berth No. 3 at Haldia Dock
o Inaugurated the Kaushal Vikas Kendra and Pritilata Chhatri Avas for 200 tribal girl students from
Sundarbans.
o Honored two oldest pensioners of the Port Smt. Nagina Bhagat (105 years) and Mr. Naresh Chandra
Chakraborty (100 years)
o Launched the Port Anthem
o Handed over a cheque of Rs 501 crore to the chairman of LIC Mr. M.R. Kumar towards final
installment to meet deficit of pension funds of the Kolkata Port Trust.
India aiming at USD 250 billion maritime economy by 2024: Defence Secretary
• India is aiming at a $250 billion maritime economy by 2024, which the Indian Coast Guard has the
responsibility to safeguard.
• With a target of becoming a USD 5 trillion economy by 2024, we are looking at over USD 250 billion
coming from the maritime zone.
• The maritime economy constitutes nearly five per cent of the world economy
AWARDS AND RECOGNITION
SPORTS
The United States Treasury Department removes China from its Currency Manipulator list,
which was imposed in August 2019.
NATIONAL NEWS
Japanese Coast Guard ship arrives in Chennai for joint exercise
• On January 13, 2019 the Japan Coast Guard Ship ‘Ichigo PLH08’ has arrived Chennai on a five-day
goodwill visit and it will participate in the 19th edition of Annual Joint Exercise ‘Sahyog-Kaijin’ which
will be begin on January 16, 2020 with the Indian Coast Guard off in Chennai.
• Admiral Takahiro Okushima, Commandant, Japan Coast Guard and Director General (DG)
Krishnaswamy Natarajan, DG of Indian Coast Guard will witness the 19th edition of ‘Sahyog-Kaijin’
exercise.
• It is aimed at further strengthening bilateral ties and mutual understanding between the two Coast
Guards and to enhance interoperability in communication and Search and Rescue procedures and
sharing of best practices.
• First edition of ‘Sahyog- Kaijin’ exercise between two coast guards took place in 2000.
• Four Indian Coast Guard Ships, their aircraft and a vessel from National Institute of Ocean
Technology will be participating along with Japan Coast Guard Ship.
• Activities like Official calls, reciprocal visit Onboard ships, sporting, cultural interactions and
professional interactions between personnel of both the Coast Guards will take part in the exercise.
Centre identifies 26 islands of Andaman and Nicobar and Lakshawadeep for holistic
development by promoting tourism
• On January 13, 2020 the Union Minister of Home Affairs (MoHA) Shri Amit Shah chaired the 6th
meeting of Island Development Agency (IDA) in New Delhi.
• During the meeting progress made towards “Holistic development of islands” were reviewed. It is
also for the first time in India, under the IDA’s guidance an initiative of sustainable development has
been undertaken with scientific assessments.
• A total of 26 islands i.e, 16 from Andaman and Nicobar Islands and 10 from Lakshadweep islands
have been identified for promoting tourism.
• Digital connectivity by June 2020: In order to strengthen the infrastructure improving air, sea and
digital connectivity are also being implemented. Port Blair (Andaman & Nicobar) and 7 islands of
Andaman & Nicobar will be digitally connected through submarine optical fibre cable by June, 2020.
• Communication services: Information Technology (IT) based and other Micro, Small and Medium
Enterprises (MSMEs) in the islands would be set up through Lakshadweep and Andaman & Nicobar
Islands Industrial Development Scheme (LANIDS), 2018 notified on 1st January, 2019.
• Airport development in Great Nicobar Island of Andaman & Nicobar and Minicoy Island of
Lakshadweep have been proposed.
1st time India to host 19TH SCO heads meeting and Statue of Unity finds place in '8 Wonders of
SCO'
• On January 13, 2020 the secretary general of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Vladimir
Norov who is on a 4-day visit to India to attend the Raisina dialogue 2020 in new Delhi from January16-
16,2020, has announced that India has been selected to host the SCO’s annual meeting of council of
heads of government for the 1st time.
• Raisina dialogue host: The dialogue which addresses the issues faced by global community is hosted
by Observer Research Foundation(ORF) in collaboration with Ministry of External Affairs(MEA).
• The Statue of Unity in Gujarat,India has been included in the SCO’s “8 wonders of SCO” list.
• India’s membership with SCO: India became a member of the SCO at the SCO summit held in Astana
(now renamed as Nur-sultan), Kazakhstan in the year 2017 along with Pakistan. Before becoming a
member of SCO, India was granted with the observer status from 2005.
• SCO members: The members of the SCO include China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Russia,
Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, India, Pakistan. Thus there totally 8 member nations of SCO
The Pulses Conclave 2020 to be held at Lonavala, Maharashtra
• The 5th edition of the biennial global pulses conference, ‘The Pulses Conclave 2020’ (TPC 2020), will
be held from February 12 to 14, 2020 at Lonavala, Pune, Maharashtra.
• The conclave is being organised by India Pulses and Grains Association (IPGA).
• IPGA is the apex body of India’s pulses and grains industry and trade based in Mumbai.
• The aim of the conclave is to discuss increasing domestic production and consumption and
improving processing efficiencies, increasing consumption, exports, value addition, protein extraction,
post-harvest crop management, etc.
11-17 January 2020 : National Road Safety Week
• In 2020, India is observing the 31st National Road Safety Week from 11 to 17 January 2020.
• The theme for National Road Safety Week 2020 is : ‘Sadak Suraksha – Jeevan Raksha’.
• The National Road Safety Week is observed throughout the country every year to highlight and
emphasize the need for safe roads and provide an opportunity for all stakeholders to contribute to the
cause by taking up activities to promote the concept.
• It is organised every year in January by the National Safety Council of India.
Neonatal and under-five mortality rate in India
• On January 12, 2020, the United Nations(UN) inter agency group for child mortality has produced a
report titled “Levels and Trends in Child Mortality”.
• As per this report India is among 5 countries where in 2018, the mortality of girls under the age of 5
exceeds that of the boys.
• Half of all under-5 deaths in 2018 occurred in the following five countries: India, Nigeria, Pakistan,
the Democratic Republic of the Congo(DRC) and Ethiopia.
• Gender gaps: Considering overall states and Union Territories(UTs), Jharkhand, Bihar and
Uttarakhand showed largest gender gaps in under-5 age mortality.
• India and Nigeria alone accounted for about 1/3rd of under 5 age deaths.
Sr.No Category State
1 State with largest gender gap Jharkhand.
2 State with highest newborn deaths Uttar Pradesh.
3 State with highest under 5 mortality rate Madhya Pradesh.
4 State with least under 5 mortality rate Kerala.
11-member panel to discuss the royalty rate issues on minerals
• On January 13, 2020 the centre has decided to set up an 11-member panel that will look into the
issues related to revision of royalty rates for minerals (other than coal, lignite, sand for stowing and
minor minerals).
• The panel will be headed by additional secretary of the mines ministry Dr. K. Rajeswara Rao.
• Mines secretaries from states of Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh
and Odisha will be the members of the panel.
• Report submission: The members will have to submit the report within 1 month to the Mines
ministry after examining the issues raised by stakeholders.
• Previously in February 2018, the mines ministry had set up a study group to revise royalty rates and
dent rent for minerals. The group submitted its report in July 2019.
• About Ministry of Mines:
Headquarters- New Delhi.
Union minister- Prahlad Joshi. (Constituency- Dharwad, Karnataka).
Integrated Road Accident Database (IRAD) developed by IIT-Madras, Launched
• On January 13, 2020, Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways and MSMEs(Ministry of Micro,
Small and Medium Enterprises) Shri Nitin Gadkari & Defence Minister Shri Rajnath Singh have jointly
launched an IT (Information Technology) tool “Integrated Road Accident Database (IRAD)” developed
by the Indian Institute of Technology–Madras (IIT-M) that will help in proper monitoring and accurate
analysis of road accidents.
• It was launched during ‘Road Safety Stakeholders’ Meet held in New Delhi.
• Developed with the help of Rs.258 crore financial assistance given by the World Bank,the database
will be implemented by the National Informatics Centre (NIC).
• Initially this system is being implemented in 6 states (Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh (MP),
Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu (TN) and Uttar Pradesh (UP) with highest fatalities of road
crashes
BANKING AND ECONOMICS
Rs 14000 crore Approved by World Bank & ADB to enhance road safety in India
• The World Bank and Asian Development Bank (ADB) have approved Rs 7 thousand crore each to
reduce the number of ‘blind spots’ from Indian roads and addressed various aspects of road safety in
India.
• This was announced by the Union Minister of Road Transport & Highways, Nitin Gadkari on 13
January 2020 at the Road Safety Stakeholders’ Meet in New Delhi, held to mark the 31st National Road
Safety Week 2020.
• As a part of the event, the Defence Minister awarded Tamil Nadu as the best performing state in
reducing road accidents.
7.35% rise in Retail inflation in December 2019, highest in last 5 years : NSO
• On January 13, 2020, According to the Consumer Price Inflation (CPI) / Retail inflation figures,
released by the National Statistical Office (NSO) under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme
Implementation (MoSPI), Retail inflation rose to a 5-year high of 7.35% in December 2019.
• Earlier, in July 2014, the retail inflation had reached 7.39 %.
• Retail inflation was more affected in December due to high food prices.
• Retail inflation based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) stood at only 2.11 % in December 2018 &
5.54 % in November 2019.
• The retail inflation has crossed the upper limit set by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). The central
government has asked the Reserve Bank to keep inflation in the range of 2-6%
AWARDS, RECORDS AND RECOGNITION
Himachal holds Guiness World Record by preparing largest quantity of Khichdi on Makar
Sankranti
• Himachal Pradesh has made the Guiness Book of World Records for preparing the largest-ever
quantity of ‘bean and rice’ dish (khichdi) on 14 January 2020, on the occasion of Makar Sankranti, at
Tattapani in Mandi district of the state.
• Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur accepted the certificate on behalf of the state’s Tourism and Civil
Aviation department.
• A team of 25 chefs from Holiday Home hotel in Shimla, cooked 1995 kg of the dish in a vessel
weighing 270 kg, with the dimensions of four feet depth and seven feet diameter, that was especially
acquired from Jagadhari in Haryana.
• The chefs’ team took five hours, 4 AM to 9 AM, to prepare the stew.
• The khichdi container was too heavy to be carried that a crane was used to tilt out the khichdi from
the enormous container for serving khichdi to devotees at Tattapani.
• Earlier, the record for making the largest amount of khichdi (918.8 kg) was held by celebrity chef
Sanjeev Kapoor when he represented the Indian ministry of food processing industries at an event in
New Delhi on November 4, 2017.
Republic Day parade of 2020 : Captain Tania Shergill to become first woman parade adjutant
• On 13th January 2020, It was announced Captain Tania Shergill, an officer with Army’s Corps of
Signals, will be the first woman parade adjutant for the Republic Day (26th January) parade of 2020.
• A parade adjutant is responsible for the parade.
• She is an electronics and communications graduate, her father, grandfather and great-grandfather
have also served in the Army. She was commissioned in March 2017 from the Officer Training
Academy, Chennai.
• In the 2019 Republic Day parade, Captain Bhavna Kasturi was the first women officer who led an
all-men contingent.
• The Republic Day parade will witness Infantry Combat Vehicle BMP-2K of the 18 Mechanised
Infantry, Dhanush Gun System and the Army Air Defence on the Rajpath.
• Contingents of the Corps of Signals, Sikh Light Infantry, Kumaon Regiment, the Grenadiers, the
Parachute Regiment will also take part in the parade.
British Indian yoga champion Ishwar Sharma wins Global Child Prodigy Award
Actor Aamir Khan in New Delhi conferred 2020 Swachhata Darpan plastic management awards
• On january 12, 2020 the Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS) under Ministry of Jal Shakti,
organised the ODF (Open Defecation Free) sustainability workshop in New Delhi. The workshop had a
special session by Bollywood actor Aamir Khan (founder of Paani foundation) who distributed awards
to the best performing districts on key swachhata parameters.
• Swachhata Darpan Awards:
Actor Aamir Khan presented the Swachhata Darpan Awards for best performing districts which
includes East Godavari (Andhra Pradesh), West Kameng (Arunachal Pradesh), Bemtara (Chhattisgarh),
Diu (Daman and Diu), Panipat (Haryana), Vadodara (Gujarat), Kolhapur (Maharashtra), Moga (Punjab),
East Sikkim (Sikkim) and Pedappali (Telangana).
• Award for plastic waste management:
4 districts i.e, Dibrugarh (Assam), Sirmaur (Himachal Pradesh), Indore (Madhya Pradesh) and Puri
(Odisha) were awarded for innovations and initiatives in plastic waste management.
SPORTS
Football player Mbappé named as the most valuable player at €265 million: CIES Football
Observatory
APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNATIONS
Appointment : Michael Debabrata Patra as Deputy Governor of RBI
• Michael Debabrata Patra has been appointed as the 4th Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of
India (RBI) for a period of three-year.
• Patra replaces Viral Acharya, who quit the post in July 2019.
• RBI can have a maximum of four Deputy Governors.
• Currently N S Vishwanathan, B P Kanungo and Mahesh Kumar Jain are the other three Deputy
Governors working at the central bank.
Lt General Girish Kumar reappointed as the Surveyor General of India for one year
A P Maheshwari appointed as the new DG of CRPF
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
ISRO : GSAT-30 Satellite ready to Launch from French Guiana on 17 January
• The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is set to launch a communication satellite named
GSAT-30 on 17 January 2020 onboard the Ariane-5 launch vehicle (VA 251) from the Ariane Launch
Complex at Kourou in French Guiana.
• The GSAT-30 is a 3,357 kg satellite with a mission life of 15 years.
• It will serve as a replacement to INSAT-4A spacecraft services to provide communication services
from geostationary orbit in C and Ku bands with enhanced coverage.
• The satellite would be extensively used for supporting VSAT network, television uplinking and
teleport services, digital satellite news gathering (DSNG), DTH television services, cellular backhaul
connectivity, and many such applications
Indian scientists detect India’s 1st case of infection in Maharashtra : H9N2 virus
• In December 2019, Scientists of the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, Maharashtra have
detected the 1st case of H9N2 virus ,a rare subtype of influenza virus A, in a 17-month-old boy in
Maharashtra.
• The discovery has been published in the journal ‘Emerging Infectious Diseases’ of the US Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
• It is a rare variant of the virus, which causes human influenza as well as bird flu. These viruses,
found exclusively in wild birds, could potentially play a major role in the worldwide emergence of
influenza.
• According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the avian influenza virus is spreading rapidly in
poultry firms, exposure to infected poultry or contaminated environments poses a risk to human
groups as well.
• H9N2 virus infections in humans are rare, although cases of the infection do not come to light due to
unclear symptoms. In humans, the first case of H9N2 virus infection occurred in Hong Kong in 1998.
Special NATO class diesel for Indian Navy launched by IOC
• On January 13,2020 Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) has developed a special class diesel (HFHSD- IN
512) High Flash High Speed Diesel conforming to NATO grade for use in ships and vessels of Indian
Army and results reduced carbon footprint.
Wolf Cukier, A 17-year-old intern at NASA, discovers new planet ‘TOI 1338b’ 1300 light years
away.
OBITUARY
Former vice-president of the International Chess Federation (FIDE) P T Ummer Koya (1996 to
2006) passes away at 69.
National Award Winner Manmohan Mohapatra passed away at 69
SUMMITS AND MOU’S
Indian Railways and RailTel signs MoU for Phase 2 execution of e-office
• On January 13, 2020 Indian Railways signs Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with RailTel, a
miniratna Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) under the Ministry of Railways for Phase 2 project of e-
office execution.
• Under this project, RailTel will register 39,000 users over 34 divisions on National Informatics
Centre (NIC) e-office platform by June 30, 2020.
• MoU was signed by Executive Director (ED/TD), Railway Board, Shri Umesh Balonda, and General
Manager (GM)/Information Technology (IT) project/RailTel, Smt. Haritima Jaipuriar.
• Under the Phase 1 execution of e-office, RailTel trained more than 50,000 users in 58 divisions of
Indian Railways.
• e-office is a paperless culture which helps to reduce the operational cost and carbon footprints.
• Thus 58 units of Indian Railways became paperless under Phase 1 execution of e-office.
• NIC e-office is a cloud enabled software based on Central Secretariat Manual of e-Office Procedure
(CSMeOP). It contains four modules namely File Management System (eFile), Knowledge Management
System (KMS), Collaboration & Messaging Services (CAMS) and Personnel Information Management
System (PIMS).
• Participants: Chairman, Railway Board, Shri Vinod Kumar Yadav, Member S&T, Railway Board, Shri
Pradeep Kumar, CMD, RailTel, Shri Puneet Chawla and other senior officials of Railways and RailTel.
• About Indian Railways:
Founded- April 16, 1853
Headquarters- New Delhi
Minister of Railway- Piyush Goyal
Chairman of Railway Board- Vinod Kumar Yadav
5th Raisina Dialogue Begins in New Delhi
• The 5th edition of the prestigious Raisina Dialogue kicked-off in New Delhi on 14 January 2020 and
will continue till 16 January 2020.
• The Dialogue has been jointly organized by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and the Observer
Research Foundation.
• Raisina Dialogue is India’s flagship global Conference on geopolitics and geo-economics, and also
one of the largest gathering of its kind.
• The inaugural session on 14 January will be attended by the Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra
Modi along with Seven former Heads of State/Government, to share their views on important
challenges facing the world
• The Raisina Dialogue 2020 will bring together 700 international participants from over a 100
countries.
• The conference will see deliberations over 80 sessions around 5 thematic pillars including
o Nationalist impulses challenging global institutions and collective action,
o Debate on the global trading architecture,
o Role of technologies in determining political, economic and military power,
o Global development agenda and
o State-individual relationship in the age of digital communities and cyberspace.
SBI Signs MoU with South Central Zone of Indian Railways for Doorstep Banking
• The South Central Zone (SCR) of Indian Railways and State Bank of India (SBI) has signed a
Memorandum of Understanding for ‘Doorstep Banking’ to enable direct pickup of cash earnings from
all 585 Railway stations on SCR Zone.
• The direct pick up of cash from all the railway stations on SCR by SBI will save the tedious and
complex activity of movement of cash earnings through ‘cash safes’ by trains.
• The door step banking will increase the pace of financial transactions and digitization of remittance
of cash earnings of the Railways into accounts.
No documents or biometric required for National Population Register (NPR): Home Ministry
• The Government has informed that no documents will be asked and no biometric will be taken for
National Population Register (NPR) exercise to be carried out between April and September 2020.
• The NPR is a register of usual residents of the country.
• The NPR exercise will be carried out in all states and UTs, except Assam, along with the house listing
phase of the census 2021 exercise.
• The Union Cabinet has approved Rs. 3,941.35 crore for the NPR exercise.
• Assam has been excluded because the National Register of Citizens (NRC) exercise has already been
conducted in the state.
Super Senior Citizens and PwDs now vote through Postal Ballot
Super Senior Citizens (over 80 years of age) and PwDs now vote through Postal Ballot in Delhi
Assembly Election.
A postal ballot is a facility for those absentee voters, including those who are unable to vote due to
some immobility can vote.
For the first time, Delhi Metro, Northern Railway Employees and media persons covering polling can
also use postal ballot facility to cast their votes
Till now, voting through the postal ballot was available to armed forces and those assigned in poll
duties.
5th Science Film Festival of India (SCI-FFI) 2020 Begins in Goa
• The 5th edition of Science Film Festival of India (SCI-FFI 2020) was started in Goa’s capital city
Panaji.
• The aims of the festival are instilling the knowledge of science among the youth with the help of
exhibitions, masterclasses, workshops, and other activities.
• Films that have been selected to be screened at the event are ‘Mission Mangal’, ‘Antariksham 9000
KMPH’, ‘Everest’, ‘Aamorie’, ‘Terminator: Dark Fate’, ‘Geostorm’ and, ‘Virus’ among others.
• Chief Minister of Goa: Pramod Sawant; Governor of Goa: Satya Pal Malik.
International
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev along with entire Cabinet Submits Resignation as
Prez Putin proposes constitutional changes
• Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has resigned. They submit their resignation to President
Vladimir Putin. Medvedev would take on a new job as deputy head of Russia’s Security Council.
• The changes would include giving parliament the power to choose the prime minister and senior
cabinet members, instead of the president as in the current system.
♦ For deposits below Rs.2 crore, SBI will now offer 6.10% as compared to 6.25% for all maturities of 1
year to 10 years.
♦ Senior citizens will continue to get 50 bps higher than the card rate.
♦ Whereas, the deposits maturing in 7 days to 1 year, the bank has kept the rates unchanged.
♦ The new rates came into effect from 10 January 2020.
♦ SBI's move is to cut the fixed deposit rates at a time when consumer price index-based inflation shot
up to 5 years high of 7.35%.
The FD rates of SBI are:
♦ For 7 days to 45 days 4.50%
♦ For 46 days to 179 days 5.50%
♦ For 180 days to 210 days 5.80%
♦ For 211 days to less than 1 year 5.80%
♦ For 1 year to less than 2 years 6.10%
♦ For 2 years to less than 3 years 6.10%
♦ For 3 years to less than 5 years 6.10%
♦ For 5 years and up to 10 years 6.10%
7th edition of Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Conference 2020
• The 7th Conference of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) India Region was
inaugurated by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla in the Vidhan Bhawan, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh on 16
January 2020.
• During the two-day event, Madhya Pradesh Governor Lalji Tandon will address the inaugural
session, while Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel will address the valedictory session on 17
January 2020.
• The main theme of the conference is ‘ROLE OF LEGISLATORS’ .
Appointment
Top legal eagle Harish Salve was appointed into Queen Elizabeth II's counsel of Senior Advocate. He has
been appointed as Queen's Counsel (QC) for the courts of England and Wales. Salve's name appeared
on the list of silk appointments released by the United Kingdom's Ministry of Justice Department on
January 13.
Salve is best known for representing India in many important matters on international waters. Having
being called to the Blackstone Chambers in 2013, Salve went on to represent India at the International
Court of Justice for the Kulbhushan Jadhav extradition case.
He was also applauded by many people when he stated that for representing India in the Kulbhushan
Jadhav extradition case, he will charge the Indian Government an amount of Re. 1 as his legal fees for
the proceedings.
Capital of United Kingdom: London; Currency: Pound sterling.
Prime Minister of United Kingdom: Boris Johnson.
Bru-Reang Refugee Crisis: Home Minister presides over signing of Historic Agreement to end the
Bru-Reang Refugee Crisis
• Union Home Minister Amit Shah recently signed a historic pact between Bru-Reang representatives,
Central Government and Governments of Tripura and Mizoram and to end 23-year old Bru-Reang
refugee crisis.
• Under the agreement, each displaced family of Bru-Reang Tribals will be given 40x30 sq. ft. of
residential plots along with Rs. 1.5 lakhs to build their houses, a fixed deposit of Rs. 4 lakhs, free ration
for 2 years and Rs. 5000 cash every month for 2 years.
• Bru -Reang are one of the 21 scheduled tribes. The Bru can be found Tripura ,Mizoram and Assam
1st edition of Krishi Manthan begins in Gujarat
The 1st edition of Krishi Manthan– the largest Food, Agri-business and Rural Development Summit of
Asia begins in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. This summit is organized by Indian Institute of Management
Ahmedabad.
Defence Minister dedicates 51st K9 Vajra-T guns to nation
• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh dedicates the 51st K9 Vajra-T guns to the nation.
• This gun is self-propelled Howitzer gun made by L&T’s Armoured System Complex at Hazira in
Gujarat.
‘K9 VAJRA-T’ Guns
• The ‘K9 VAJRA-T’ Tracked, Self-Propelled Howitzer Guns are being manufactured by Larsen &
Toubro under the contract awarded to the company by Ministry of Defence through global competitive
bidding to deliver 100 such guns.
• More than 75 percent of K9 Vajra has been manufactured in India.
• The gun weighs 50 tonnes and can fire 47-kilogram bombs at targets up to a distance of 43
kilometres. It can also turn around at zero radius.
Arunachal Pradesh Becomes First State to ink Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with IUCN
• Aunachal Pradesh has become the first State in India to sign a memorandum of understanding
(MoU) with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
• As per the MoU, the state government will collaborate to prepare the IUCN’s Red List Assessment for
all orchids in the State.
• The Department of Environment and Forest is the nodal department for execution of the project.
• IUCN Headquarters: Gland, Switzerland
International
World Bank and GOI Inks USD 88 million loan agreement for the implementation of Assam
Inland Water Transport Project
• The Government of India, the Government of Assam and the World Bank has signed a loan
agreement worth $88 million for the implementation of the Assam Inland Water Transport Project
(AIWTP).
• The loan from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) will help to
o Modernize the passenger ferry infrastructure and its services
o Strengthen the capacity of the institutions running the inland water transport
o Make ferry services more sustainable with least disruption to nature, because of technically better
designed terminals and energy-efficient vessels (both new and retrofitted).
WEF Global Risks Report 2020: Climate action failure, biodiversity loss, extreme weather top
global risks
• WEF Global Risks Report 2020 was released by the World Economic Forum on January 15, 2020.
The report is based on the Global Risks Perception Survey of the WEF that is conducted annually.
• The report categorized all Global Risks into five categories - Economic Risks, Environmental Risks,
Geopolitical Risks, Societal Risks and Technological Risks.
• The Global Risks Report 2020 comes at a time when the global economy is facing a synchronized
slowdown, cyber-attacks are on a rise and climate change is becoming an increasingly concerning
phenomenon with the past five years being the warmest on record.
Most Powerful Passports of 2020: India ranks 84th
• The Henley Passport Index 2020 was released recently, revealing the most powerful passports of
the year 2020. Japan’s passport was ranked as the Most Powerful Passport of 2020.
• Indian passport was ranked at 84th position in the index that listed passports of 199 countries and
227 tourist places. The index is prepared on the basis of data of the International Air Transport
Association (IATA).
• According to the Henley Passport Index, Japan has the most powerful passport in the world.
Japan’s passport holders can visit 191 countries without any visa.
• Top 10 countries in the index are – Singapore, Germany, South Korea, Italy, Finland, Spain,
Luxembourg, and Denmark.
• Headquarters of Henley & Partners: London, United Kingdom; Founded: 1997.
• Chairman of Henley & Partners: Christian Kalin.
• Chief Executive Officer(CEO): Juerg Steffen.
Obituary
The winners of the 26th Screen Actors Guild Awards were awarded at the Shrine Auditorium in Los
Angeles, California, the US on 19 January. The award honours the biggest achievements in TV and film
for the year 2019.
Winners' List:
Television Awards:
Television Movie/Miniseries (Male): Sam Rockwell, Fosse/Verdon
Television Movie/Miniseries (Female): Michelle Williams, Fosse/Verdon
Drama Series (Male): Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones
Drama Series (Female): Jennifer Aniston, The Morning Show
Comedy Series (Male): Tony Shalhoub, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Comedy Series (Female): Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Fleabag
Ensemble in a Drama Series: The Crown
Ensemble in a Comedy Series: The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Stunt Ensemble in a Comedy or Drama Series: Game of Thrones
Motion Picture Awards:
Leading Role (Male): Joaquin Phoenix, Joker
Leading Role (Female): Renée Zellweger, Judy
Supporting Role(Male): Brad Pitt, Once Upon A Time In Hollywood
Supporting Role (Female): Laura Dern, Marriage Story
Cast in a Motion Picture: Parasite
Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture: Avengers: Endgame
Science & Technology
APEDA sets up 186 Agri products testing laboratories
• 20 January 2020 Current Affairs:Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development
Authority (APEDA) has added 135 laboratories to existing 51 recognized laboratories. With this
addition of laboratories, APEDA recognition of laboratories has reached 186 laboratories in India.
• The move is significant as the Laboratory testing requirements are crucial in the Agri export supply
chain. The number of laboratories added includes 35 in Maharashtra, 23 in Gujarat, 10 in Andhra
Pradesh & Telangana, 23 in Tamil Nadu 17 in and Karnataka.
• APEDA introduced a policy decision for the simplification of APEDA recognition of laboratories to
increase the laboratory network further. It has been decided that the laboratories which are National
Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) accredited will be recognized by
APEDA. These laboratories will be added in the network of APEDA recognition laboratories.
Appointment
Rs 70,000 crore loan amount has been disbursed till Jan 13 under MSMEs scheme: Govt
• The Finance Ministry has stated that a loan amount of nearly seventy thousand crore rupees has
been disbursed till 13th of this month under the scheme of providing loan to Micro Small and Medium
Enterprises – MSMEs within 59 minutes.
• Out of the 2.73 lakh applications received, 2.19 lakh applications have been approved.
• For ease of access to credit for MSMEs, the government has introduced loan provision to MSMEs
through a dedicated online portal- psbloansin59 minutes.com.
• The portal acts as a single interface portal which facilitates in principal approval of bank loans to
Micro Small and Medium Enterprises upto five crore rupees within 59 minutes.
Sports
India wins Diplomat Cup Cricket Championship 2020
• The team of the Indian Consulate has won the Diplomat Cup Cricket Championship of 2020 held in
Sharjah. The team of the Indian Consulate defeated the Pakistan Consulate to win the trophy which was
organized by Skyline University College in Sharjah.
• The Consulate team of 8 countries participated in the tournament. The participating Consulates
were: India, Australia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh , Afghanistan, South Africa, Pakistan and the US.
International
World Economic Forum 2020: US joins One Trillion Trees initiative, Greta Thunberg says
emissions have to stop
•
US President Donald Trump affirmed during the first day of the 50th World Economic Forum that the
United States harbours the cleanest air and drinking water on Earth.
• He also announced that the US will be joining the One Billion Trees initiative and continue to work
towards restoring and growing forests and trees.
Awards
Priya Prakash wins Cisco Youth Leadership Award 2019
• The founder and CEO of India based HealthSetGo, Priya Prakash, has won the Global Citizen Prize:
Cisco Youth Leadership Award for 2019. The award was given for her school health program that
provides healthcare support to children.
• HealthSetGo is a healthcare organisation that supports the UN’s (United Nation) Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs) and to improve the health & lives of children.
Sports
Indian shooter Divyansh & Apurvi wins gold medal at Meyton Cup
• Indian shooters Divyansh Singh Pawar and Apurvi Chandela have clinched a gold medal each in
Meyton Cup, a private tournament in Innsbruck, Austria.
• While Divyansh won the gold in the men's 10m air rifle event with an effort of 249.7, Apurvi bagged
the yellow metal in the 10m air rifle women's category with a 251.4.
Appointment
Ranking
Greenpeace India Report: Jharia most polluted city in India
• The coal-belching town of Jharia in Jharkhand to be the most polluted city in India according to a
Greenpeace India Report. Jharkhand’s Dhanbad, known for its rich coal reserves and industries, is the
second-most polluted city in India.
• Delhi is the 10th-most polluted city in India, according to the report. As per the report, 6 of the top-
10 polluted cities are in Uttar Pradesh comprising of Noida, Ghaziabad, Bareilly, Allahabad, Moradabad
and Firozabad.
• Lunglei in Mizoram is the least polluted city in the country. The report is based on analysis of PM10
data from 287 cities across the country.
Current Affairs PDF- January 24, 2020
National News
National Girl Child Day 2020:
• India observed the National Girl Child Day 2020 on January 24, 2020 with an aim to
raise awareness about the importance of girl child and create facilities for them.
• The Day is utilised as a platform to share about the atrocities and inequalities faced by
girls in their lives.
Investment limit for FPIs in government & corporate bonds increased to 30%:
• The investment limit for Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) in government and
corporate bonds have been raised by the Reserve Bank of India. The decision aims to bring
in more foreign funds into the market.
• The investment limit for Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) have been raised from 20%
to 30% in government & corporate bonds.
• Along with increase in the investment limit for Foreign Portfolio Investors, the RBI has
also announced relaxations in the voluntary retention route (VRR) for FPI investments in
debt.
• According to the RBI circular, the investment cap through VRR has been increased to Rs
1.5 lakh crore from Rs 0.75 lakh crore. The central bank has also permitted the FPIs to
invest in exchange-traded funds that invest only in debt instruments.
Awards
Subhash Chandra Bose AapdaPrabandhanPuraskar 2020 winners
announced:
• The Union Home Ministry on January 23, 2020 announced the Subhash Chandra Bose
AapdaPrabandhanPuraskar 2020.
• The Ministry will confer the award upon Kumar Munnan Singh in Individual Category
and Mitigation & Management Centre, Uttarakhand in Institution Category.
• The award is announced on the occasion of the Birth Anniversary of NetajiSubhash
Chandra Bose.
Sports
India successfully chased the biggest T20 target abroad:
• Team India has completed its biggest run chase overseas by achieving a target of 204
against New Zealand in the first T20I in Auckland on January 24, 2020.
• India completed its last biggest run chase abroad on July 8, 2018, by achieving the target
of 199 runs given by England in Bristol.
• In this match, ShreyasIyer (58) and KL Rahul (56) smashed rapid 50s whit captain
ViratKohli scored 45 runs.
Ranking
Corruption Perception Index 2019: India slips two positions to 80th rank:
• The Transparency International on January 23, 2020 launched the Corruption
Perception Index 2019 during the ongoing World Economic Forum 2020 in Davos. India’s
rank slipped to 80th place on the index from 78th position in the year 2018.
• Denmark and New Zealand have been ranked as the most honest countries on the
index.
India’s First War Memorial for Service Animals to come up in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh:
•The Government of India has planned to set up a first-of-its-kind war memorial for
service animals in Meerut city of Uttar Pradesh.
•The memorial will be set up at the army’s specialized breeding, rearing and training
centre for animals: the Remount and Veterinary Corps (RVC) Centre and College in
Meerut.
•It will be similar to the National War Memorial in Delhi, but on smaller scale.
•India’s first war memorial for animals including dogs, horses and mules will be dedicated
to the contributions and heroics of animals who lost their lives in counter-insurgency
operations in Kashmir and in the battlefield during the Kargil War, while helping the
Army.
CJI S.A. Bobde Inaugurates All India Members’ Conference of the Income Tax
Appellate Tribunal in New Delhi:
• The Chief Justice of India, Justice S.A. Bobde, inaugurated the All India Members’
Conference of the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT) in New Delhi on 24 January 2020.
• The two day event was held as a part of the 79th Foundation Day Celebrations of ITAT.
• India’s Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT) was set up on 25 January 1941.
• ITAT functions under the Department of Legal Affairs in the Ministry of Law and Justice.
Ranking
India celebrates National Voters’ Day on 25th January:
• In India, the National Voters’ Day is celebrated on 25 January every year in a bid to
encourage more young voters to take part in the political process.
• The day is being observed since 2011 to mark the foundation day of Election
Commission of India (ECI), formed on 25 January 1950, to overlook the smooth running of
elections in India
• The theme of National Voters’ Day 2020 is ‘Electoral Literacy for a Stronger Democracy.’
NitinGadkari Launches Web Portal “GATI” to Monitor Road & Highways Projects:
• The Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways and MSMEs ShriNitinGadkari has
launched an online Web Portal ‘GATI’ on the pattern of ‘PRAGATI’, the portal used by the
Prime Ministers’ Office (PMO) for monitoring projects.
• The GATI portal has been created by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI)
and can be accessed from NHAI Website.
• The portal was launched by the minister during the two-days long review meeting of
NHAI-Ministry projects in Haryana’s Manesar on 23 & 24 January 2020.
• A total of 500 projects (including delayed ones) costing around Rs 3 lakh crore were
taken up for review during the meeting.
International News
India’s GDP to grow at 5.0% in FY20 & 5.5% in FY21: India Ratings:
• India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra) has projected India’s GDP growth rate for fiscal
2019-2020 at 5 percent, which is a multi-year low.
• Ind-Ra expects gross domestic product (GDP) to grow at 5.5 percent in FY21.
GeM Signs MoU with Uttar Pradesh to Set Up Project Management Unit:
• The Uttar Pradesh government has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with
the Government eMarketplace (GeM), under the Department of Commerce, Ministry of
Commerce &Industry,to set up a GeM Organizational Transformation Team (GOTT)
Project Management Unit (PMU) in the state.
• Uttar Pradesh government is the second state after Punjab to establish a GOTT-PMU for
inclusive, efficient and transparent procurement system.
Kerala Partners MIT To Unveil India’s First ‘Super Fab Lab’ in Kochi:
• Kerala Chief Minister PinarayiVijayan inaugurated India’s first Super Fab Lab at the
Integrated Startup Complex of the Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) in Kochi on 25 January
2020, that will give India’s hardware industry a huge leap.
• Fab Labs are fabrication laboratories offering digital fabrication and
computation. A Fab Lab lets you make almost anything; make the products you can
consume.
• A Super Lab lets you make a Fab Lab. It is an amazing facility that has the tools not just
to make anything, but make the tools that make things.
International News
International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust:
• International Holocaust Remembrance Day is held on 27 January to commemorate the
tragedy of the Holocaust that occurred during the Second World War due to the genocide
that resulted in the deaths of 6 million Jews and 11 million others, by the Nazi regime and
its collaborators
• Theme 2020: “75 years after Auschwitz – Holocaust Education and Remembrance for
Global Justice”.
• This year the President has approved conferment of 141 Padma Awards including 4
duo cases (in a duo case, the award is counted as one) as per list below. The list comprises
7 Padma Vibhushan, 16 Padma Bhushan and 118 Padma Shri Awards.
• 33 of the awardees are women and the list also includes 18 persons from the category
of Foreigners/NRI/PIO/OCI and 12 Posthumous awardees.
8. Song Of The Year Bad Guy ( Billie Eilish O’Connell &Finneas O’Connell)
Obituary
GRSE set to deliver anti-submarine warfare corvette INS Kavaratti to Navy soon:
• Defence PSU Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) is set to deliver anti-
submarine warfare stealth corvette INS Kavaratti to the Indian Navy. INS Kavaratti is
104th warship constructed by GRSE.
• INS Kavaratti can be used during nuclear, chemical and biological warfare conditions
and its weapons and sensors suite is predominantly indigenous.
International News
Qatar’s Emir appoints new Prime Minister:
• Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani has been appointed as the new Prime
Minister of Qatar, succeeding Sheikh Abdullah who has resigned from the post.
• Sheikh Khalid is a close associate of Qatar’s Emir and has played an influential role in
the royal court.
Obituary
Former women’s hockey team captain Sunita Chandra passes away:
• Former Indian women’s hockey team captain Sunita Chandra died here on Monday, her
son said. Chandra, an Arjuna awardee, was 76 and is survived by her husband Yatish
Chandra and two sons.
• She had played for the Indian women’s hockey team between 1956 to 1966 and served
as skipper from 1963 to 1966
Current Affairs PDF- January 30, 2020
National News
Indian Navy launched ‘Operation Vanilla’:
• Indian Navy recently sent INS Airavat to Madagascar as post-natural relief. Indian Navy
will provide basic help to the people of Madagascar like food, drinking water, shelter,
medicines, sanitary pads, etc.
• The INS Airavat is capable to carry more than 500 troops and 10 battle tanks. It was
commissioned in the Indian Navy on May 19, 2010.
Nepal creates Guinness World Record for highest altitude fashion show event:
• Nepal has created a new Guinness World Record for organizing highest altitude Fashion
Show on the earth.
• The Mount Everest Fashion Runway was held at 5340 meters (17515 feet) elevation at
Kala Patthar, near Everest base camp.
• The Guinness world record registered the title and awarded a certificate to the
organizers including Dr Pankaj Gupta from India and Ms RamilaNemkul and Mr Riken
Maharjan from Nepal.
• The main objective of the fashion show was to create awareness about climate change
and also to give a message to the world that Nepal is the destination for all activities.
YuvaSwabhimanYojana:
• The MP government launched on January 31, 2019, guaranteeing 100 days of work and
pay to unemployed youth who have registered themselves with the Madhya Pradesh
government.
• The stipend has been hiked by Rs 1,000 to Rs 5,000 per month.
• On the lines of MNREGS, the government is ready to extend the guarantee of 100
workdays to 365 days of temporary employment a year .
Sports
Govt aims to achieve objective of Housing for All by 2022 under PMAY-G:
• Union Government aims to achieve objective of Housing for All by 2022 under
PradhanMantriAwasYojana-Grameen.
• A total of over one crore 50 lakh rural houses have been completed in the last five
years.
• Ministry of Finance stated, the eligible beneficiaries will get one crore 95 lakh houses in
the second phase of the scheme. Government has set a target of 60 lakh houses for the
current financial year.
A special Supreme Court bench to frame issues about gender inequality at religious
places:
The apex court recently announced that a nine-judge bench will frame issues related to the
discrimination against women in different religious places in India. The court will consider
issues like restriction on Muslim women to enter into mosques. The court will also hear
issues related to female genital mutilation in DawoodiBohra Muslim community.
Indian railways to equip over 3.5 lakh coaches with RFID tags:
Indian Railways will make its coaches smarter and safer with radio-frequency
identification (RFID) tags.
The ministry of Railway of India has recently announced that all freight and passenger
coaches will be equipped with RFID tags. These RFID tags will help the ministry to locate
and monitor coaches. At present, about 20,000 coaches have already equipped with RFID
tags.
FICCI survey projects FY20 GDP growth at 5%, to improve to 5.5% in FY21:
• Industry body FICCI stated its Economic Outlook Survey has projected the country’s
annual median GDP growth for 2019-20 at 5 per cent, in line with the projections made by
the National Statistical Organisation (NSO).
• The survey has put the median growth forecast for agriculture and allied activities at
2.6 per cent for 2019-20, the industry and services sector at 3.5 per cent and 7.2 per cent,
respectively, during the current year.
• Growth is likely to improve to 5 per cent in 2020-21 as per the projections, the survey
stated.
About FICCI:
• Headquarters location: New Delhi
• Founded: 1927
• President Sangita Reddy
• Senior Vice-President :Uday Shankar
• Vice President: Sanjiv Mehta
Obituary
Padma Shri awardee TusharKanjilal passes away:
Famous social worker, environmentalist, educationist & writer TusharKanjilal passed
away. The Government of India awarded TusharKanjilal the 4th highest civilian honour of
Padma Shri in 1986.
Sports
India hockey captain Rani Rampal named 2019 World Games Athlete of the Year:
• Rani Rampal wins the World Games Athlete of the Year 2019. The long wait is over!
The Indian women's hockey team captain Rani Rampal has been voted as the 'World
Games Athlete of the Year'.
• Toppling all the 25 athletes, the Indian skipper won with a massive 199,477 votes.
Ranking
ICICI Bank Launches a unique self-service delivery facility ‘iBox’ for customers:
• The private lender ICICI Bank has launched a first-of-its-kind, unique self-service
delivery facility, called ‘iBox’, that will enable its customers to collect their deliverables
such as debit card, credit card, cheque book and returned-cheques, in a hassle free
manner, anytime any day.
• This facility is especially useful for customers who are not available at home to receive
their package during working hours.
• The Bank has introduced the iBox facility at over 50 branches in 17 cities in the
country.